'This man is so young. Can he really be a master who has achieved Body Ascension?!'
'Or is he some old monster proficient in the Solid Appearance and Life Locking Technique, which is why he maintains a youthful look?!'
The three Sect Leaders were shaken. Even though they had anticipated that someone who had achieved Body Ascension would be strong, they had never imagined *this* strong.
He just stood there, taking the attacks of three Soul Stealing masters head-on with his physical body. Was he made of flesh and blood, or a Golden Body of steel?
However, before they could even regulate their breathing, Yi Beidou was already moving.
In a flash, he appeared right in front of Mu Huaidong.
BOOM!!
A palm strike, like a mountain being pushed sideways, shot toward Mu Huaidong's chest.
Mu Huaidong's pupils shrank to pinpricks. A terrifying sense of danger assaulted his mind, almost suffocating him. He immediately brought his arms up to block his chest.
BANG!!
Mu Huaidong felt as if he had been hit by a train. The immense force sent him flying, and he tumbled several times across the ground. His organs were shaken, a sweet taste filled his throat, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
After sending Mu Huaidong flying with a single palm, Yi Beidou didn't pause for a moment. Like a phantom, he flickered and appeared before Wu Xianjue in the blink of an eye, striking out with another palm.
BANG!!
The next moment, Wu Xianjue's body flew backward just like Mu Huaidong's, rolling continuously on the ground.
The last one, Tang Zhihe, couldn't escape either. Although the other two had bought him time to adjust his breathing and meet Yi Beidou's attack with a palm of his own, he was still instantly blown more than twenty meters away.
One person, one palm strike. All of them sent flying.
In a mere dozen seconds, the three Sect Leaders of Han Province's major sects were down and out.
Everyone was dead silent. They even forgot to rush forward and help their respective Sect Leaders.
"Who might you be, senior? As a master who has achieved Body Ascension, why have you forced your way into my Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect's gates? We should have no grievances or enmity with you. I wonder if we have offended you in some way? Could you please enlighten us?"
Mu Huaidong struggled to his feet and said to Yi Beidou with his hands clasped in a formal salute.
Having one's gates forced open was a great humiliation for a sect. But if the person doing it was a master who had achieved Body Ascension, it was equivalent to having an Immortal force their way in. That was another matter entirely.
It was no surprise to lose to someone who had achieved Body Ascension. No one in the Martial Arts Realm would hold it against them.
His biggest worry now was the reason for this person's visit. 'Did the Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect or one of its disciples inadvertently offend such a master?' That would be the most troublesome issue.
Although they lived in a society governed by law, if a person like this truly wanted revenge, who could possibly stop him?
Body Ascension?!
Hearing Mu Huaidong's words, the disciples' eyes went wide, their jaws dropping in shock.
The Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect had once produced a master who achieved Body Ascension. This was a source of great pride for them. However, that was just history and legend. Who could have imagined that history and legend would one day be standing right before them?
As for Li Qingdai, she was completely dumbfounded, recalling what Yi Beidou had said to her in the car.
Body Ascension? I know about it. I am one.
'So, he was telling the truth the whole time. It was I who was blind to the greatness before me.'
"There's no need to be nervous. We have no quarrel. I've come to learn your arts," Yi Beidou said. "In fact, I should apologize to you. It was indeed wrong of me to force my way in. However, I will grant you a fortuitous opportunity afterward."
'Here to learn our arts?'
'You beat all of us until we were injured and coughing up blood in a dozen seconds, and now you want to learn something from us? Aren't you just looking for trouble?!'
Mu Huaidong felt incredibly frustrated, but he had no choice but to bow his head. He didn't dare offend the man before him. Besides, as long as a person of this caliber wasn't here for revenge, it was a blessing. Thus, he could only say helplessly, "What could we possibly have to teach a master like you? Furthermore, our secret techniques are the foundation of our sect. How can we easily..."
Before he could finish, his words came to an abrupt halt. An expression of utter disbelief appeared on everyone's face.
Everyone clearly saw Yi Beidou's hair begin to turn white from the tips, the change spreading at a visible rate until his entire head of hair, even his eyebrows, was silver.
THUMP!!
Then, they heard a sound like a clap of thunder, followed by the sound of a great river rushing.
It was the sound of Yi Beidou's heart beating, of blood surging violently through his veins.
In the blink of an eye, his black hair grew back. It was like an elixir returning to the body.
GURGLE! GURGLE!
Then, a mechanical roar rumbled from within Yi Beidou's body. In an instant, his skin turned crimson, like steel reddened by extreme heat.
The roots of his hair stood on end and his eyebrows flared up like burning flames. His already fierce, Celestial Demon-like face contorted into the ferocious visage of a Rakshasa Evil Ghost, revealing its full savagery.
With each breath, the moisture in the air vaporized from his body heat, emerging from his nostrils as white mist, like a Divine Dragon exhaling clouds.
Then, the crimson color rapidly faded from his body, and he returned to his normal appearance.
The next moment.
POP! POP! POP!
The muscles in Yi Beidou's palm suddenly swelled with blood, turning a dark purplish-black. Not only that, but the swelling quickly began to spread.
His wrist, his forearm, his upper arm.
His entire arm seemed to have transformed into a demonic limb.
The various signature Martial Arts that the three Sect Leaders had just displayed were now being reproduced one by one on Yi Beidou's own body.
The three men looked as if they had seen a ghost.
They had never heard of a master who had achieved Body Ascension possessing such an ability.
In reality, this was not an ability of Body Ascension, but a result of the Free Heart Technique's development of the brain and body.
An ordinary person who endured various Demon Tribulations and successfully cultivated the Free Heart Technique would gain control over their body, become a great master, and possess unique abilities. This was even more true for Yi Beidou, who possessed the "Celestial Demon Body." For him, the difficulty of cultivating this technique was ten times that of a normal person, so naturally, the rewards were far greater.
It could be said that among all who had cultivated this technique since ancient times, none could compare to Yi Beidou's unique abilities at the same realm—not even Hong Datong.
His powerful control over his body and the extreme functions of his brain and mind were what created the miracle Yi Beidou was now displaying.
However, what others saw as a miracle was of little use to him now.
"No need for all that trouble. I've already learned them," Yi Beidou said, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, manipulating Qi and blood, the Breathing Techniques of the moves, and the Fist Intent Soul Capturing and Soul Stealing... they are all just mundane, minor paths. They are not what I seek, nor are they the purpose of my visit."
With his current level of control over his body, he could easily learn all these techniques. But these worldly skills, at best, only added to his repertoire; they were of no great benefit to his fundamental Dao.
His Celestial Demon Sensing had not been drawn here for these three men.
"What is the great Dao?"
Wu Xianjue asked from the side. With a master who had achieved Body Ascension standing right before them, wouldn't it be a waste of a fortuitous opportunity not to seek his guidance?
"The so-called great Dao is the wisdom and courage to reshape heaven and earth and to break all limits. It is the heroic spirit that seeks the possible within the impossible and manifests miracles in the mortal world. It is the will that endures through millennia, echoing in the high heavens even after the flesh has decayed. The great Dao is the supreme human heart and mind."
Yi Beidou's voice reverberated across the training grounds, washing over them like a heavenly sound and bringing sudden enlightenment.
When the ancient sages discussed the Dao, it must have been just like this.
Upon hearing this, Mu Huaidong and the others felt a jolt run through their bodies, and a heroic passion surged in their hearts.
Martial Artists defy the heavens to change their fate, battling heaven and earth. This is how it should be.
If one simply followed fate, one would live a life of mediocrity, born in spring and dying in winter.
"A pity. I'm afraid my Cyan Wood Heart Intent Sect does not have what you are looking for," Mu Huaidong said with a sigh. If the great grand-master from their sect who had achieved Body Ascension were still alive, perhaps he could have sat and discussed the Dao with this man.
"No, what I'm looking for is here. It's just not on any of you," Yi Beidou said calmly. Following his Celestial Demon Sensing, his gaze shifted and finally settled on the center of the training grounds.
There, a massive, unusual locust tree stood majestically. Its leaves fluttered in the wind as it quietly watched over the land, a silent record of a hundred years of change.